pilot bearing removal

[Phil and Judy Rose]

At 12:22 PM -0400 5/1/03, QSHIPQ at aol.com wrote:
>Brandon:
>Yes, the 3b pilot bearing is all the way recessed, and I guess is
>considered a lifetime part...  To make it less so for the DIYer,
>take a dremel and make 2 cut thru the shell about 3/4 of the depth
>180 apart, then use a scredriver and pound the shell in towards the
>center, it will collapse on itself

Yes, I've been told that the pilot bearing comes out in pieces,
althougth your reply is the first verification I've had that it is
true. A few years ago my car had work done that required dropping the
tranny. The shop suggested that-- while they were "in
there"--replacing the pilot bearing might be a reasonable bit of
preventive maintenance, so I had one shipped in from Carlsen Audi. I
was not around during the bearing removal/installation, so later--out
of curiosity-- I asked to have a look at the old bearing. The tech
laughed, and told me I was welcome to hunt in the trashcan for the
bits and pieces of it.

I guess this obeys the advice of "Don't fix it if it ain't broke",
while ignoring it at the same time.
Phil
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*  Phil & Judy Rose           Rochester, NY  *
*        mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net       *
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